To keep running the nunnery is challenging. Some nuns get discouraged and leave. Likewise I get discouraged. Each time BNF came, the nuns and I are re-energized. I feel more encouraged with FFM’s support and in their valuing us. This has encouraged us and planted the seed in our mind to make the best of what we have …
--Head Monk Teacher Lama Yeshi Dorji of Shedrup Choling nunnery who founded the nunnery 10 years ago at the request of the local community, and who had compassionately donated one of his kidneys to his friend’s mother so that she could continue farming and earn a livelihood

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BABWO Children and Bro Mong

Our Children

We are very happy for can live and study at BABWO peacefully and lighting up our lives. Thank you all Firefly Mission donors and Sun Fund, Singapore.

Parent and guardian of our children

Yes, we are also very happy for can send our children to the BABWO unless we have to difficult and our children also cannot get chance to do access education and deprived from their education rights and difficult to find the way of their brightness life. We are gratitude to BABWO and their donors.

Voice of Bro Mong

Yes of course, I feel very happy for could do something for BABWO, Firefly Mission and others in this life. It is my wholesome works. I cannot donate much but I love to help others as can as possible till the dead and give build a bridge of relationship between BABWO and Firefly Mission as if they can do their wholesome/Dana works. I myself would like gratitude to Firefly Mission and Swan Fund from my heart for their valuable kindness support. I have been done charity works and doing too. All the achieved of my wholesome/Dana are dedicated to late my beloved Mother and Father and all. Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu!

I am relieved that from the money we received from our Singapore supporters will help to buy cooking oil, salt, eggs and lentil for the nuns’ nutrition. I never realized that when Meme (our late Spiritual Teacher) was alive, there was so much mental comfort; I never worried much about where the food items would come or anything like that but after he passed away, it worried me. Also before Firefly’s funds came in, we did not have money to buy sugar and milk for tea. The younger nuns like to drink tea with milk but we were not able to provide them the milk and sugar for their tea. But after we received the support from our Singapore donors, I was happy to be able to buy sugar and milk for the tea for the nuns and they were happy to have tea breaks. I thank our unknown donors from other side of the world for their kind support. Please tell them that the only way we can repay their generosity is by saying prayers for their well being.

Ani Kunzang Choden, Head Nun of Samten Choling nunnery

SBS Kathina Reflection 2014

Like all Firefly Mission trips, this trip to SBS has been a very fruitful and enjoyable one for me due to a few reasons. Firstly is because I have just finished my End-Of-Year examinations and is relaxing while awaiting my results so this trip serves as a relaxant for me and also doubles up as a reward too for finishing the school year.

Secondly, there are many new faces and each one of them brings an element of refreshment because we get to talk to different people and not just to the same old-timers. They are like patches adding their own stories to the firefly mission quilt and this in turns make Firefly Mission more interesting and less mundane.

Thirdly, this trip is filled with visits to other Buddhist Organizations like Tzu Chi on Day 1 and Nalanda on Day 4 and is therefore very rewarding to our spiritual life. These organizations show us around their “campus”, as they serve as schools for the Dharma, and even host us for delicious lunches, they also inspire us as they have done much meaningful work too and have gained many supporters, even those from overseas.

Lastly, I enjoyed this trip very much too because like all Firefly Mission trips it has successfully incorporated the elements of relax and learning into the trip itinerary. No one will forget the beautiful hotels that we stayed in especially the boutique hotel on day 1 and the five-star hotel on day 3. All in all, I took a lot out of this trip and I hope to be able to go for more trips in the near future.